Why have I gone this far on this topic about secular genetics, heredity and ancestry? Firstly, it is has been to illustrate that there is enough evidence to show that genetics and heredity have a bearing on our lives – in desirable and undesirable ways. It’s not a waste of time having an understanding in this area.

Needless to say that even if generational issues (genetics) have a bearing or role in our lives it does not mean they control our lives and destinies. It is God who controls our lives and destinies. In his sovereign will he allows certain generational characteristics (good and bad) to be part of our makeup. He then uses the mix of these generational characteristics (good and bad) to work to our good and not to work against us.

This is why our walk with God is far more important than our circumstances, makeup, limitations, and so on. As believers we focus on God, the author and finisher of our faith, and not on circumstances around us. “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus,” Philippians 1:6.

Secondly and most importantly, covering on secular genetics has been to illustrate that genetics and heredity (generational characteristics) are not a product of Satan. The negative aspects are products of our fallen nature that was corrupted after Adam and Eve sinned.

God placed this corruption or fallen nature on us after the fall or after the Original Sin. Satan only influenced us to fall into a corrupted trap. He didn’t place the fallen nature on us. Neither are there generational spirits working behind scenes to hinder us.

This corruption of our fallen nature takes the form of all kinds of undesirable characteristics (physically, mentally or socially) and in different ways among different people. None of us is perfect physically, mentally or socially no matter the family we may come from. The good characteristics represent our godly side while the undesirable characteristics represent the fallen nature.

Sickness, aging, bad personality traits, limited cognitive abilities, etc, represent our fallen nature. At some point in life, if we live long enough, we get old, weaker, less attractive, less smart, etc. Do we start fighting Satan as these undesirable characteristics begin to set in? Yet aging or senescence is part of the genetic code that’s passed down to us. It is part of the fallen nature that we inherit.

Aging is called a disease among some medical circles. It is a degenerative disease. A degenerative disease is an illness in which the function or structure of the affected tissues or organs changes for the worse over time. Aging is the slowest degenerative disease that starts once we reach full grown stage – in the early to mid twenties. It is an infectious disease in the sense that it is passed down to us from our parents, all born with the fallen Adamic nature.

The most severe disease of aging is called progeria (the longer term is Hutchison-Gilford Progeria Syndrome (HGPS)). It is an extremely rare form of premature aging whereby the victim begins to age at an rapidly accelerated pace. Progeria is noticeable in a child at as early as one year old. Because the aging process happens so quickly progeria victims reach complete old age by around age 13. Most die of age related diseases, particularly cardiovascular diseases, before they are 20 years old.

Progeria is not a genetic disease in the sense that it is caused by inherited undesirable genes from parents. It is therefore not inherited from any parents. It is a genetic disease in the sense that it is caused by an abnormal genetic mutation (change) that arises randomly or spontaneously.

In 2003, genetics researchers in USA found that the likely cause of progeria is mutations in the lamin A (LMNA) gene. They said it is an abnormal mutation that is like a single-letter “misspelling” in the genetic code on a single chromosome (see USA TODAY magazine, 4/16/2003).

In 2004 researchers at the University of Hong Kong discovered that mutated lamin A in its “misspelt form” is what disrupted the repairing process in cells. Disruption in the repairing process in cells is what results in accelerated aging. The researchers found that the bodies of progeria humans and mice being studied could not easily repair damaged DNA. This is in contrast to normal humans and mice with healthy cell samples. The bodies of normal humans easily repaired damaged DNA.

Although the academic field has many theories on aging this body repair characteristic says a lot about what takes place as we age. Our bodies become less efficient in repairing themselves from the normal wear and tear in life due to movement, stress, environment, diet, inner activities of our organs and tissue. Please see Senescence.info for more info on aging.

So what do we do about undesirable generational characteristics of our fallen nature? We bring all of them before God to intervene in our lives. Even over aging we ask for strength and health for as long as God keeps us on this earth. With the mind of Christ we also do our part in overcoming the undesirable generational characteristics – whether physical, mental or social characteristics.

On physical characteristics it is not a sin to improve one’s looks by seeking physiological adjustments. This is as long as it’s not done in extravagance.

Physiological adjustments are more important when it comes to our physical health. It’s hard to do God’s work with poor health. Thus it’s fitting that we do our part in ensuring our physical health is strengthened or maintained. Some in the body of Christ call generational illnesses the physical illnesses that can be traced to any one of our parents or ancestors.

Needless to say that such generational illnesses do evolve and thus we have more control over them than we assume. Above all, we have God on our side. My other book Major Christian Deliverance Principles: Keys for Self-deliverance and Ministry has more on physical health areas. In the book please see Chapter 8: “Christian Deliverance and Healing in Physical Health Areas.”

From a Christian perspective these are spiritual areas. My other book, Breaking Spiritual Strongholds and Healing the Wounded Spirit: Dealing with Root Causes, focuses primarily on Christian deliverance and healing in spiritual areas.